VetRepp

We replaced the carpet and most of the interior in my Old K a while back. Did a lot of the work ourselves. One note of caution - The carpet going in has to have a certain burn rating for FAA approval - recorded somewhere in the logs. This isn't a big deal as far as most carpets go, but could be a gotcha if it ever comes up with FAA etc.

Yes amazing. What airport is it? (Perhaps it's time to invest in a crosswind runway ;-).

Me Too! Mine was in So. Calif You could crawl thru front air intake and out the back - They eventually smoothed over the rough edges with concrete - Not the same, but still pretty cool

I retract after trimmed with a positive rate of climb established, and not enough runway remaining to land straight ahead if needed. My old K had some rub marks in the wheel well of the front tire so I know at least sometimes it was still spinning on retract. With the brakes on the mains they may stop spinning sooner but I would hope there is minimal resistance to free spinning on them. Some planes have a canvas strip that the tire hits to stop before full retraction into the wells (on tires that retract forward / backward). I hadn't thought about the affect on the actuators with increased force and spinning, that's a good point. I guess anything I can do to make it easier and less expensive on my bird is worth a try (but of course fly the airplane first). So I'll continue the old habit, when I remember

Thanks for all the replies. The discussion seems to have veered into whether we should or shouldn't (a PIC decision), and what's in the POH. My feeling about POH is that there are a lot of good piloting procedures not necessarily included and that they represent the manufacturers Minimums. The reason for my original post was the tires and any preventative actions that would be best on hardware (for the rare instance when spinning could be a problem). Since Mooney Gear swing sideways, any issue with spinning would affect the sidewalls. So my question, from Post #1, is .. Does any one know if Mooney incorporates any mechanism to stop tire rotation on retraction in the Ovation (which would make a toe tap unnecessary)? If so what? Thanks for all the insight Roger

Thanks for reply - That's what I thought but there is no mention in any of my manuals

There is a small raised area on the EGT indicator line approx. midway - similar in appearance to the T.O. position indicator on Rudder and Elevator Trim indicators. Nowhere in my documentation is mention of what this represents - It ends up being near Peak EGT, I asked Garmin at last convention - they didn't know so I guess it is Mooney specific. I'm guessing it is to help manage EGT on T.O. but can someone tell me what it represents? Thanks

OK this is a stupid question and I should know, but I've just transitioned to a M20R from M20K. On my old plane I used to tap brakes prior to gear up to stop spinning, but I can't seem to remember to do it on this plane. I know some planes have wheel snubbers or other systems to stop the tire from spinning in the well. Is there any such system on the M20R? Thanks

Just downloaded Pirep Pro App for IPAD. Makes issuing and graphically viewing pertinent PIREPS easy. It's Worth a look. IMHO

I have concordes and follow their recommendation for testing and to change if less than 85% of capacity. They have been in the plane for >4.5yrs and on a battery minder for 2years - They are still going very strong.

My Baby is getting it's annual for a Dec 1st signoff - So I'm a wingless turkey for Thanksgiving.

I have a M20R (long body) w/ 3-blade prop. Removing and replacing the lower cowl without minor scratches is a real challenge (Read Bieeeeatch !!), and needless to say a 2 person job. Does anyone have any tips / tricks. (This design setup was not Mooney's finest hour) Thanks

Carusoam When I bought the Ovation 2 yrs ago it had the Concordes. - Looking in the log book they were installed 4.5 years ago by prior Owner about 1 mo apart - no mention what the prior batteries were, (but that means the originals only lasted ~2.5yrs.) I assumed they were always Concordes, but maybe he replaced Gils?? (BTW -I checked BatteryMinder website and they no longer differentiate Gil from Concorde units - but they did 2 yrs ago when I bought mine. Also Concordes website still states that they worked closely with BatteryMinder on specs for their batteries - So I wonder if Battery Minder adapted those specs for all units?) But anyway, Mine are going strong and happy with the setup

I use a battery Minder with my Ovation Concords and I am very happy with both. Mine is hardwired with the plugs tucked inside the external electrical plug door (?.. I'm spacing on that part name right now). BTW Concord recommends slightly different settings (Maintenance float or such) and Battery minder makes a specific unit for Concords specifications.

Time to replace tires at this upcoming annual. Any one have any thoughts on the Michelin Air (original equipment brand) vs Condor or any others?

If the problem is flying coupled approaches - Couldn't they provide a reasonable solution but with the disclamer that autopilot coupled approaches not authorized - as appears on some approach plates. (I have the G1000 w/ STEC 55 and personally hand fly the approaches that have electronic vertical guidance -I find this autopilot lacks in this area)

I'm in the same situation. And will need to upgrade to WAAS for the mandatory ADS-B by 2020. I'm waiting (hoping) for a better solution by then. But it seems to me that with the 150 (whatever the number is) Mooneys plus the Beeches, Cesnas and Diamonds in the same situation, there should be enough consumer (if not class action) pressure to compel Garmin / Mooney / and others to offer a better solution. I'm just saying IMHO ... (maybe I'm too nieve in light of the legacy of Garmin greed).

I'd be curious to see what their fixed costs are. I suspect the Mooneys have a lower Fixed costs to operate. I know the SR22 and C350 are more expensive to insure than Mooneys. (Due to a rise of pilot error accidents and more expensive repairs in those plastic planes) Also the Parachutes have a fixed life (I think I heard @10yrs and >$10k). Plus Mooneys O2's are just more fun to fly. So ya gotta subtract the fixed cost of a permanent smile on Mooney owners face.

Does anyone know why Mooney Nose gear doors are asymmetrical when opened?

I have a 2006 Ovation GX w/ G1000. I recently wanted to add IFR charts database which reside on removable SD cards, 1 in the PFD and 1 in the MFD. I found out that I have the Garmin -41 SD cards, which do not have enough capacity (only @ 120 MB) to load all the databases I was looking at, (I was considering the Pilot Pak which has Safe Taxi, and Airport directory and other stuff as well). In order to do this I would have to buy new data cards from Garmin - They have a -42 SD card that holds 2 GB and a -43 that holds 4GB. They would gladly sell them to me for $525 each. That is >$1050 for SD cards that can be bought for @ $10 at any computer or Camera store. My question is even though they have a TSO FAA approved sticker on them, Is there any real difference? The Garmin guy I talked to suggested (but wouldn't say outright) that there was no difference, that is unless I got Ramp checked. Does anyone know what difference there may be or has used other SD cards for this purpose? Or does anyone have any advice on where to get reasonably priced FAA approved SD cards? Thanks